CLARION, Pa. – It was déjà vu all over again for Clarion football on Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles opened up a big lead and piled on late for the second straight week, this time defeating Lock Haven 48-20 at Memorial Stadium.

(Photo courtesy of Clarion University Athletics)

The Golden Eagles once again combined a powerful rushing attack with a potent first-half defense to improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2015.

The script was similar to last week’s victory over Shippensburg in more ways than one. Clarion once again scored the first points of the game, and once again built a 34-0 lead before surrendering their first points of the game. Where the story diverged was the effectiveness of the passing game, as the Golden Eagles’ trio of quarterbacks combined for a standout day against the Lock Haven secondary. Jeff Clemens and Michael Proios rotated every few series, with the former going 12-of-20 for 117 yards, two touchdowns and an interception and the latter 7-of-10 for three scores and no picks. Tanner Jones added a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, hitting Maverick Kelsea for a score to make it 48-14.

Freshman receiver Quinn Zinobile was the revelation of the day, as the first year pass-catcher hauled in four passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He scored his first career touchdown on a simple cross in the first quarter, and added another with a 66-yard catch-and-run that put Clarion ahead 21-0 with 1:29 left to go in the period. Terrell Ford added his first two scores in the Blue & Gold, hauling in a seven-yard score from Clemens in the second quarter and adding a 37-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Mylique McGriff recorded his second straight 100-yard game on the ground, toting the ball 17 times for 120 yards. Ross Greece scored his second touchdown in as many games with another short plunge in the first quarter, scoring Clarion’s first points of the game; he finished with 19 yards on five carries.

Defensively Clarion held the Bald Eagles to 264 total offensive yards, most of which came after the halftime break with the deficit at five scores. They forced a pair of turnovers, with Sam Fareri knocking a fumble loose and Corey Wells picking off a pass to halt Lock Haven drive. Quinlin Lambert totaled six tackles, while Fareri added five and a tackle for loss. Vaughn Wallace and Desmond Johnson each tacked on full sacks.

The Golden Eagle defense stood tall on Lock Haven’s first possession and stopped them on a 3rd-and-6, and Clarion immediately proceeded to push the ball 93 yards on seven plays for their first score. A number of penalty calls against the Bald Eagles aided Clarion in their efforts, and Greece eventually punched it in from two yards out to make it 7-0. The defense forced a three-and-out on the next possession and the offense went back to work, this time punctuating the drive on a 12-yard slant from Clemens to Zinobile.

Things snowballed from there for Lock Haven, as Wells picked off Kyle Knight by wrestling the ball away from a receiver to take possession. The Golden Eagles scored three plays later, with Zinobile galloping for a 66-yard score that gave Clarion a 21-0 advantage.

Jacob Whitenight scored on Clarion’s first possession of the second quarter, taking off down the field for a 36-yard score on a pass from Proios. The rout was officially on with 6:39 remaining, when Clemens floated a pass to Ford at the right pylon to make it 34-0. Neither team scored in the third quarter and the squads essentially traded points in the fourth, with Ford and Kelsea adding insurance touchdowns to set the final deficit.